Trinamool sees silver lining in Tripura civic polls, also alleges rigging as BJP sweeps

Guwahati: The ruling BJP in Tripura swept the civic body polls in the results declared on Sunday, winning 329 out of 334 seats across several municipal bodies in the state.

The BJP won 112 uncontested seats earlier, and 217 of the 222 that went to the polls last week, including all 51 in capital Agartala's municipal corporation.

Trinamool Congress won in one seat in the civic elections despite the reign of terror which had been unleashed by the BJP on the day of elections. Apart from winning ward no. 13 in the Ambassa Municipality, AITC ended up being in the second position in 26 of the 51 wards in Agartala Municipal Corporation, relegating the Left parties to a dismal third.

Trinamool also came close to winning in ward no. 13 of Sonamura Municipality, losing out by only 10 votes to the BJP candidate. Similarly, in Teliamura municipality's ward no. 10, the AITC candidate lost out by only 8 votes.

In the weeks leading up to the civic body polls, the fight between the BJP and the TMC became heated, with both sides accusing the other of causing violence.

But Mamata Banerjee's party managed to emerge as the principal opposition now in the state.

Trinamool Congress MP and general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, its Tripura in-charge, congratulated workers for helping the party emerge as the "principal opposition". Terming the result "exceptional", the TMC stated that it is the "foundation of Trinamool's victory in 2023" Assembly polls in Tripura.

Abhishek tweeted: "It is exceptional for a party beginning with negligible presence to successfully contest municipal elections and emerge as the PRINCIPAL OPPOSITION in the state with more than 20% vote share."

The BJP, meanwhile, pitched the result as a vote of confidence in the party, which has been in power in the state since 2018, when it defeated the 25-year Left Front regime. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Biplab Deb tweeted about the party's success.